I am proud to announce the publication of my fifth book The Road to a Hunger-Free America: Selected Writings of Mark Winne (Bloomsbury). This announcement is likely to provoke a follow-up question which is why write another book at the age of 75? One answer might be that writing is a better game for me to pursue than either golf or pickle-ball. Another response comes in the form of a diagnosis suggested by Juvenal’s quote, “Many suffer from the incurable disease of writing….” But then there is the less than humble thought — offered from the heart as much from the mind — that I still have something to say that deserves to be heard.
And what I have to say is what I’ve learned over the course of 56 years as a food activist and writer. If we are to end the scourge of hunger in the U.S., in other words, advance a just and sustainable food system, such an effort demands an eagle eye on people, places, and actions. Further, and within those three groupings, I have discovered that success is keenly related to a fundamental application of justice, an active imagination, a clarity of focus on needs and solutions, and effective leadership. What I mean by all this is made visible by the stories and analyses found in these selected essays gleaned from nearly 20 years of writing.
Get it Cheaper, Get it Sooner
Buy The Road to a Hunger-Free America directly from the publisher, Bloomsbury, and save 20%. Go to The Road to a Hunger-Free America: Selected Writings of Mark Winne: Mark Winne: Bloomsbury Academic – Bloomsbury and use the discount code GLRBD8, and you’ll be on your way to owning a classy piece of literature!
Appearances
Want it even cheaper and faster? Come to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey on October 15 and buy the book, at some ridiculously low price, between 11:30 and 1:30. Since I’ll be there in person, you’ll get the added bonus of a signed copy. I’ll be in the Institute for Food and Nutrition and Health building on the Cook College campus at 61 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey (parking is nearby and fairly easy). Besides saying hello and buying a book, you’ll have a chance to enjoy this beautiful, state-of-the-art “green” building complete with a 3-story “living wall” alive with 5200 plants, and the delicious and hopelessly healthy Harvest Café.
Can’t make it to Rutgers? Then go to Paterson, New Jersey on October 16, World Food Day, where I’ll be hanging out at A Better Market while yakking, selling, and signing. The market is the inspiration of Shana Manradge, a community activist who is featured in the book. Word has it that Paterson’s mayor is going to stop by so that he can have his photo taken with me! I’ll be there from 12 until 3, and the market is located at 215 Rosa Parks Blvd in Paterson, which by the way, is one of the east coast’s great historic cities.
Endorsements
I’m deeply grateful for the words of my book’s endorsers. Not only are they often touching, but their comments also illuminate my purpose and identify the most appropriate audience. Tricia Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Urban Food Systems at Kansas State University, said, “This collection provides a more nuanced account of alternative food movements and food justice than any lecture, peer-reviewed publication, or textbook chapter I could offer to my students.”
Cathy Stanton, Teaching Professor at Tufts University, wrote “Mark Winne’s latest book is grounded in theory and tested in practice to present a clear framework against American food injustice.”
And Christopher Bosso, Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Northeastern University made me feel really old when he said, “Mark Winne is a legend in the food movement, and his insights are particularly relevant today.”
Who am I to argue with these Professors! It never got me anywhere when I was in college!
But just as important as the words of academics are the words of the people you’ll read about in The Road to a Hunger-Free America. When Jo Argabright in Kansas says, “I’m tired of watching my town die,” or Maria Alonso in California says, “This is my community, and I hear from the gardeners all the time how the ‘garden makes me feel better,’” I hear two women giving voice to their passions, and just as importantly, the needs of others in their respective communities. Leaders like Gabe Pena in West Virginia describe how to bring economic vitality back to ex-coal mining towns through food and farming, and Dr. Namali Fernando in Virginia recounts her extraordinary efforts to refocus the practice of pediatrics on nutrition and dietary health.
From the other end of the country, you’ll read about the Herculean efforts of a food bank to stem the tide of hunger in Seattle, and then how the quiet university town of Missoula, Montana made food and farming a ubiquitous part of their community. The list goes on and touches on examples from all over the country. But these aren’t just news stories you’d find in your daily newspaper. They and the book offer an analysis set against a backdrop of social justice theory and a history of good practice. Together, they contain lessons for anyone interested in really ending hunger.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love writing stories about people, places, and actions that are changing the food system for the good. But as enamored as I am by their details, I’m equally passionate about passing them through the sieve of theory and my own decades of experience. In this selection of essays, complemented by some of the great thinkers of our time, I’ve tried to give you the best of both worlds.